Blackest Knight
by Hallo'sEve
Summary: Dick gasped as he watched the figure plummet to the Earth below. His eyes grew as wide as saucers and his body was overwhelmed with paralyzing fear. The nine year old refused to face the truth until the sickening crack met his ears. The figure was Bruce. -Back on hold, but hopefully will get off after the holidays. Still under revision
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I really wasn't too happy with this whole story, but I want to continue it still. So I decided I was gonna fix up each chapter, adding in more detail before posting a new one.  
**

**I'll update the new chapter as soon as I fix the other three, and then I'll be back on track.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**-X-  
**

"Another meeting, Bruce?" Roy asked, walking through the front door of Wayne Manor. The older man nodded, "Alfred is out of town visiting his cousin, and Wally's on a class field trip." He pulled a slick black jacket over his arms. "I'm trusting that you can handle Dick alone."

Roy nodded, waving his hand in a nonchalant mannor, "Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine. Same rules as last time?"

"Yes, but I'll be back after 3 o'clock. The meeting starts at 11, and they're about four hours." Bruce grabbed his briefcase and headed towards the door heading towards the door. His fingers messed with the blue tie around his neck for a second before wrapping themselves around the door knob. "I'll call you when I'm on my way home."

Bruce stopped in the doorway, "Oh, and one more thing, Harper. If I get home and Dick is hurt again, it'll be your head." Roy eyes could barley meet the scowl on Bruce's face. He gravely nodded, muttering a quiet, "Rodger that."

Dick's high voice suddenly rang out throughout the house. "Bye, Bruce!"

The older man smiled, expecting the kid to come running. When the boy's footsteps were never heard, Bruce's smile faded slightly, fingers falling from the door knob; Dick didn't want to hug him goodbye? Maybe he was getting too old for hugs now.

Straying away from his thoughts, Bruce straightened his tie, walking out the door. "Bye, Dick!"

The archer gently closed the door behind the billionaire, locking it as well. He sauntered towards Dick's room, only to nearly crash into the boy. Dick roughly pushed past him. "Move it, Roy boy!" He yelped, doing a handspring down the hallway. Roy chased after him, "Where the heck are you going?"

"To the Batcave!"

Roy rolled his eyes, racing the boy into the cave. The duo arrived via the elevator behind the grandfather clock, which Roy had originally thought to be an ordinary clock. Dick guided Roy into the gym, showing him what equipment he was allowed to use, and which ones Batman had said not to touch. After the short tour, Dick, of course, ran straight to the trapeze and high bars.

The teen watched the young acrobat in both awe and terror "Be careful, Dick!" He shouted after a few flips. The young hero laughed "Don't be so worried, Roy boy! I've been doing this since I was born."

Roy could hear the pride in Dick's voice, and he could see the triumphant smile playing across the little boy's lips. The playful laughter was filled with sheer joy and confidence. Roy saw that Dick's eyes held the inspiring determination and the whimsical gratitude of flying through the air. Dick was home; he was happy.

What most people did not realize was that Dick was an acrobat from a circus. He was a performer. The boy got a thrill from doing death defying stunts, entertaining people. After all, it's what his parents raised him to do. To put on a show.

No wonder the kid was so flashy with his stunts. Acrobatics is an art. A mystifying skill that took years to master. Dick has already perfected it. He can do tricks that a normal boy or even a senior acrobat could ever dream of doing. His flexibility and dexterity was outstanding, almost unreal. It was inspiring to see someone so young capable of doing something as amazing as that.

Dick stopped flipping and rested on one of the high bars. "Roy?" He called to the distracted ginger, kicking his feet back and forth. Roy barley heard him, hurriedly looking over at the ebony. "Uh, yeah, Dick. What's up?"

The acrobat laughed, holding the bar under his knees and flipping down to hand upside down. "Well, for starters I'm up," Dick began, an amused smile on his face. Roy lightly chuckled at the boy, walking over to stand under him.

"But other than that, nothing much. What about you, Roy? How's Star?" The archer leaned against the nearest wall, shrugging his shoulders, "Pretty good. Locked up Vertigo a few nights ago. Massive headaches."

Laughter from the little boy swarmed through the cave, "Well, his name _is_ Count Vertigo."

Roy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. He stuck his tongue out at the ebony, who returned the action. Even though he was fourteen, Roy found that it was all too easy slip into the same immature behavior as Dick. Sometimes it was just fun to be a little kid again.

Dick swung himself back up, resting his bottom on the bar once more. "Come up here!"

"Sorry, Dickey, but not all of us are acrobats."

"It's not that hard."

A short silence fell as Roy gave Dick an are-you-serious? look, who rolled his bright blue eyes in return. A small smile played on his lips again. "Okay so it is, but still."

"I have a better idea." The redhead sat on a bench a few feet away from Dick, resting with one foot on his other knee with his back pressed back against the bench "How 'bout you come down and we go upstairs and do something."

Dick dropped down to hang from the bar, swinging back and forth before leaping to the next bar, closer to Roy. "I didn't finish my routine, though."

"Can't you do it later?"

The ebony pouted, his lips forming into a small frown. He continued to flip in between bars, seemingly effortlessly catching himself on the next one. "No."

A sigh came from the teenager as he rubbed the back of his head. His eyes closed themselves for a moment before reopening to look up at the young acrobat doing his very impressive flips between the bars. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine." Dick forced his body up to do a handstand on the bar, looking at the archer from an inverted angle.

"Come on, Dick. If you come down, we can... Uh..."

"We can play with balloons?" Finished Dick, turning himself the right way and resting on the bar again. He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly at Roy, who had a confused look on his face. The redhead made his way towards the younger boy. "Balloons?" He questioned, an eye brow raised.

Dick nodded before flashing him a toothy grin.

Shortly, Roy nodded, "Yeah sure, we can play with balloons."

"Yay!" Dick squeaked, flipping down to ground level. He landed with his arms in the air, expecting an applause. "Show off." Roy said teasingly, walking past the ebony. Dick walked at a fast pace to keep up with the teen. "Jealous."

Roy snorted, "At least I can fire an arrow."

Dick pouted, remembering the time he failed to use Roy's bow. He folded his arms over his chest, his pout turning into a scowl, and he glared at Roy. He stopped walking, tapping his foot on the ground. Roy groaned, "Come on, Dickey. I was kidding." The little boy refused to move.

With a sigh, Roy turned back and picked Dick up by the waist, carrying him towards the elevator they arrived in. Dick struggled against him, "Put me d-down!" He demanded, his voice slightly cracking when Roy accidentally brushed his side. Roy refused to meet his demand, a different idea forming in his head.

Instead, Roy began to tickle him. Dick's shrieks of laughter flooded the entire cave, causing the bats to stir and rampage overhead.

"R-Roy, stop i-it!" He yelped between giggles. Roy laughed too, continuing to tickle the little boy. Dick squirmed away, incapable of controlling his laughter. "ROY! S-STOP!"

Roy chuckled at the boy's dismay. "Okay, okay, I'll stop." He said before his hands left Dick's sides and lay beside him, laughing uncontrollably. Dick panted, trying to regain his breath. As soon as his breathing was regular, he rolled to the side and punched Roy on the shoulder continuously.

"That was mean." He growled in a low tone, hoping to sound as terrifying as the Batman, himself. Much to Dick's dismay, Roy laughed at the so called scariness in Dick's higher pitched voice and caught the boy's wrist. Dick tried to yank his wrist free, but was unsuccessful with any of his attempts. "Lemme go." He muttered quietly, a frown prominently on his face.

"Are you done hitting me?"

The ebony nodded, and Roy contently released his wrist. Dick then struck Roy once more on the shoulder. "Hey! You said you were done!" Roy moved to catch his wrist again; however, Dick reeled back, rolling out of his reach. "I am now." The boy said as he pushed himself up and sprinted towards the elevator. The archer was quick to follow after him.

-X-

"I thought you said you can make an elephant?"

"It is an elephant!"

"No its not. Elephants have trunks."

"The trunk is right there. See?"

Dick brought the red balloon animal close to his face, squinting his bright azure eyes. "No, I still don't see it."

Roy rolled his eyes, "Well let's see you make an elephant."

"Fine!"

Dick grabbed a blue balloon from the pile on the coffee table and put it to his lips. He blew hot air into the balloon until it was a good size, and then began to shape it into an elephant. A few minutes later, he held up the final product to Roy, who was dumbstruck at how much the rubber resembled the large animal itself.

"How'd you learn to do that, Dickey?" The red haired boy asked, admiring the blue elephant in his hands. Dick giggled and passed it to him. "Mr. Haly taught me how. I showed him Peanut and then he made him a buddy. So I asked him how, and he showed me!"

The elephant was taken by Roy's hands and held up by Dick, "Pretty cool, huh?"

The archer nodded before being handed back his elephant. Dick grabbed another balloon, ready to blow it up when he stopped, "So what are you gonna name him?"

"Who?"

"Your elephant! What are you gonna name him?"

Roy shrugged, "I don't know. I guess-"

The sound of police sirens suddenly filled the quiet manor for a few moments. Dick quickly went to the window, watching the police cars and ambulances drive by. The ebony swiftly ran back again, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. He quickly turned it on the device and put on the news channel.

"_... Held hostage at Wayne Industries."_

Dick's jaw dropped slightly as Roy made his way over to the couch he was sitting on, taking the seat beside the ebony. Leaning closer to the television, Dick turning up the volume much higher.

_"Bruce Wayne, Roger Winters, Amanda Kane, Claire Sullivan, Justin Autta, and Kristi Mayer are still being held inside while others were allowed to leave. Let's go down to Brian to find out what is going on."  
_

Roy wrapped his arms around Dick, as the young boy clutched on to his sleeve tightly. His blue eyes never darted away from the screen._  
_

_"Thanks Shelly. So right now I am in downtown Gotham at the foot of the Wayne Industries building. SWAT cars are everywhere, along with other policemen and plenty of ambulances. It is said that there are four men inside, all of them with guns. At this point, it will be difficult for anyone to get a clear shot."  
_

_The camera zoomed in on a window a few floors up. Shadows moved past the glass every so often for just barely a second. Sirens could still be heard in the background, along with angry shouts from police officers to whomever was inside.  
_

_"As you can see, there's no way to get a clear shot. The men are demanding millions of dollars for the safe return of the people inside. From what I can see, the police are willing to cooperate, possibly waiting to ambush. We don't-"  
_

_Multiple screams rang out from the whole crowd people people right after the sharp sound of a gunshot and shattering glass. The cameraman struggled to zoom in on the man falling towards Earth.  
_

Dick knew it was Bruce instantly, easily registering the man's black hair and suit. Bruce was falling from the window, and falling towards the ground, just like his parents had. Dick's eyes grew as wide as saucers and his body soon became overwhelmed with paralyzing fear as he watched his adoptive father hit the solid ground. As soon as the sickening, all too familiar crack met his ears, he flinched into the older boy.

"BRUCE!"

**-X-**

**A/N: I'm a lot happier with it now then I was when I first posted this, but anyways, thanks for being so patient with me. I'm going to do everything I can to make this story that much better. I'll have the re-write of chapter two up tomorrow!  
**

******-Hallo'sEve**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! And to clear things up, Dick is nine years old.**

**So this next chapter is from Bruce's part of the story in the beginning, and explains how we got to the part that happened on the news. Fun right?  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
**

**-X-  
**

Bruce patiently waited at the red light, adjusting his tie once more. At the change of the light, Bruce gently stepped on the gas petal, accelerating forward in sync with all the other cars. As Bruce changed lanes, his thoughts wandered back to leaving Roy to babysit after what happened last time.

_Dick didn't hug me goodbye._

For some reason, Bruce could not help but feel upset by this. Dick was nine years old; he couldn't be growing up yet. In his mirrors, Bruce caught a glance at a black van trailing closely behind him. With Batman suspicion creeping up on him, Bruce changed lanes again, taking the nearest turn. After a few more minutes of driving, Bruce pulled into the Wayne Industries parking lot.

Bruce shut off the car engine and stepped out of it, locking the doors with the push of a button. He walked forward until he abruptly stopped, spotting something black in the corner of his eye. Bruce shook it off. Alfred was right; he needed more sleep.

Smiling a bit to himself, Bruce stepped into the huge complex, taking the stairs up to the fifth floor. He walked through the glass door, entering the business room. Taking his seat beside Kristi Mayer and Ian Pace, Bruce pulled out some papers, ready to start the long, boring meeting.

~X~

"So next on our agenda is-"

"Everyone, hands up!"

Bruce immediately dropped a hand to his pocket, digging for his cell phone. He felt something press against the back of his head, "Not so fast, Wayne. Wallets on the table or Wayne gets it!"

Reluctantly, Bruce pulled out his wallet, throwing it on the table. Everyone else in the room copied this action, until all purses and wallets were out in the open. The gun against his head was pulled away and the man stepped over to the table, picking up Bruce's wallet. The fat man opened the wallet, shuffling his thick fingers through it.

The man pulled out the picture of Bruce and Dick that Bruce always kept tucked away in his wallet. The fat man smiled, showing his rotten, yellow teeth, "This your kid, Wayne?"

Bruce said nothing to him, but instead looked at the picture of him and Dick. The man crumpled the picture, stepping forward to shove it into Bruce's palm. Bruce's hand gripped it tightly as he continued to glare at the man. He laughed and Bruce got an overwhelming smell of cigarettes and beer.

The other three in the room shoved all the wallets and purses into sacks, throwing them over their shoulders. Yellow Teeth, as Bruce began to call him, pointed his gun at Ian and Wendy, "You two, get the 'ell outta here. You ain't gots no money."

Ian and Wendy did not hesitate to get out of the room, holding on to each other fearfully. Not too long after, sirens filled the dead air. Yellow Teeth pointed his gun back and forth, "Alright. So I want one million from each of ya, and no one gets hurt." The gun rested on Amanda, causing her to burst into tears and hug Roger nearby.

Bruce grit his teeth to stop himself from speaking out. He wasn't Batman right now, so he couldn't attack. Carefully, Bruce slowly took a step back, trying to formulate a foolproof escape plan. It was hard when you weren't Batman though.

The gun rested on him.

"Where do ya think your goin', Wayne? I ain't lettin anyone else go."

Yellow Teeth sent Bruce a dark glare before stepping forward to grip Claire Sullivan by the arm. She struggled to get away from him, unable to control her tears. Yellow Teeth smiled, "I always like 'em fiesty."

"Get away from her."

Bruce stepped towards them, taking a pathetic defensive stance. Yellow Teeth let her go, giving Bruce his full attention. Claire went straight to Austin, crying into his shoulder. Bruce gripped the picture in his hand tightly as if he were holding the little boy's hand. The three other men pointed their guns at Bruce, causing the women in the room to give out a shocked gasp. Yellow Teeth put up his hand, signaling the other gunmen to lower their weapons. The trio reluctantly did.

"Jus' who do ya think you are?"

Yellow Teeth was hit by Bruce's fist in the cheek, forcing him to stumble to the side. The gun skidded over towards the feet of the other thieves in the room. Bruce held back greatly on the punch, but his fist never loosened around the small photo of him and Dick. The middle thief picked up the gun, holding it closely.

"I'm Bruce Wayne." He growled, staring down at the man. Yellow Teeth got to his feet, ripping his gun from the moron's hands. In one quick movement, Yellow Teeth's fat index finger squeezed the trigger of the gun. Screams tore from all the business men and women in the room as Bruce stumbled far back, this body slamming against the window glass.

The force shattered the glass, and Bruce fell backwards out of the window. A series of screams and gasps escaped the crowed below. Bruce barely heard any noise at all as he fell through the air. The only thing running through his mind was the thought of the little boy he was about to abandon, even though he promised he never would.

Bruce's grip on the picture did not fail and still he held the photograph in his curled fist, even when his body collided with the hard pavement.

-X-

Roy grabbed Dick around the waist, pulling him away from the TV and into his lap so the boy's back was against his chest. The fourteen year old just hugged Dick tightly and whispered words of useless comfort into his ear. Dick struggled to get away from Roy, tears streaming down his cheeks; however, the nine year old did not have the power to do so.

"L-let go! We g-gotta get t-to t-the hospital."

"Dickie, please stop."

Roy turned his neck to look at the side of Dick's face. The ebony's watery gaze rested on Roy's, begging for some sort of comfort. Roy wiped a few tears from Dick's cheeks, knowing that this torment must be suffocating him. Dick looked away from Roy's eyes and landed on the television screen which displayed an ambulance.

Quickly, Roy gently grabbed Dick's chin, making the little boy cast his gaze back on Roy. The archer felt himself nearly crumble under the overwhelming pain that was radiating from Dick. His blue eyes were now dark and full of suffering and hurt. Dick looked away again before shutting his eyes, trying to stop his tears.

"We're going to call Alfred and the League, okay? And we'll have you sent up to the Watchtower."

Dick shook his head, "N-no. Not w-without B-Bruce."

"Dickie, Bruce-"

"No!"

Suddenly Dick chomped down on Roy's hand. The archer yelped in surprise, releasing his grip on the boy. Dick squirmed away from Roy before breaking into a sprint out the door. He hopped on his bike in the backyard and peddled down to Gotham's best hospital as fast as his legs would push him. Roy dashed out behind him, just missing the ebony haired boy by an inch.

"Dick!"

Frantic, Roy scanned over the yard for another bike. He spotted a black one chained up to the fence. Roy ran towards it and yanked the chain forcibly, hoping for it to break in two.

Roy swore when the chain remained in tact. He scrambled back inside, looking for the key on the house's key rack. Grabbing a handful, Roy got back to the bike and presumed to unlock it. After three tries, Roy got the thing undone. He quickly mounted the bike and raced down the same path Dick did.

-X-

Dick forced himself to keep going. His black bangs fell in front of his eyes. Breathing had become difficult between both crying and panting. A few short blocks away, Dick saw the hospital building, with plenty of ambulances and police cars parked before the complex. This lit a fire inside Dick, and he pushed forward.

Dick peddled as fast as he could, ignoring the burning in his legs and chest. He needed to get to Bruce. Dick let out a sob, wiping the tears out of his eyes. Blurry vision and the bright sun forced Dick to squint his lively blue eyes to avoid hitting anything. Dick ignored the honks from multiple cars and their angry shouts, forcing himself to keep going.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Dick arrived at the hospital. He hopped off his bike, leaving it right prior to the automatic doors. Dick rushed into the hospital, receiving a multitude of odd glances. At the counter sat a red-haired, elderly nurse. Dick walked up to her, opening his mouth to say something when many doctors and a gurney came from a hallway. He knew who it was in one glance.

Bruce.

Dick pushed off the counter, rushing to catch up with the doctors. One shoved him back, but Dick forced himself to get beside the man on the bed.

"B-Bruce?"

Two navy blue eyes met Dick's watery blue ones. Bruce looked like he was in unbearable pain, barely able to stay awake. A breathing mechanism was over his mouth and his chest was _drenched _in blood. Dick vaguely wondered how the man could still be awake through all this strong pain.

"R-Rich... Richard..."

Bruce's eyes looked away from Dick's as his eyelids fell. A doctor grabbed Dick by his tiny waist and ripped him away, "Someone keep this kid away!"

The ebony haired boy squirmed in the tight grasp of the hands, reaching towards his adoptive father as he was wheeled into a room down another hallway. Another doctor with brown hair grabbed Dick from the other medic and he knelt down to Dick's height. The doctor put his hands on Dick's shoulders, "You're Richard. Richard Grayson, right?"

Dick could only nod, not trusting his own voice.

"Okay. Well Bruce got hurt really bad, so the other doctors are trying to help him. You're not allowed to go in there, buddy. Here, take a seat and I'll get you something to drink. You look parched."

Dick sat on the nearest chair, pinching his eyebrows together trying to figure out what the word 'parched' meant. The nameless doctor walked out of the room, leaving Dick by himself. Quietly, the little ninja crept down the hallway, doing his best to keep his sobs at bay. Reaching the same door Bruce went through, Dick pushed it open. All of the medics were scrambling around the room, grabbing what looked like ping pong paddles.

"CLEAR!"

**-X-**

**A/N: Alright, so after this part things start to get really emotional, so I hope you're prepared for it. I also noticed a lot of spelling mistakes in chapter one so I fixed the ones I could find up.**

**So let me know what ya think in a review! And check out my profile for a poll about the new Young Justice season, Young Justice Invasion.  
**

**Review!  
**

**-Hallo'sEve  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you again for all the reviews! I love to hear from you guys! Anyways, this chapter is pretty short, but that's because I'm more focused on another fic right now that I'm going to start posting over the summer.  
**

**So yeah. Here's the next chapter and there is probably only going to be one more chapter. There might be two though. We'll see!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
**

**-X-  
**

Roy was panicking.

Barely swerving down the street, Roy pulled out his cell phone, nearly unable to dial the number. He pressed the device to his ear, trying to stop his gasps for air to listen. Hitting a small bump, the phone slipped from Roy's grasp. It bounced up once before skidding a few more feet. Cursing under his breath, Roy stopped his bike abruptly, jolting forward. Roy was barely able to stop himself from falling over the handlebars of the bike before getting off.**  
**

He ran to grab his phone off the ground, quickly checking for scratches on the device before slamming it against his ear.

_"Hello?"_ _  
_

Roy let out a sigh of relief, "Clark! Thank god you answered."

_"Roy? What happened? Is Dick alright?"_

"No, Dick is fine. Well, kinda, but it's Bruce. He got hurt." The archer ran over to his bike and mounted it again. He quickly took off in the same direction at the fastest speed he could achieve through his aching legs and raging heartbeat.

_"Roy, he's Batman. I'm sure he can handle whatever happened."_

"Clark, no-"

_"Alfred will take care of things."_

"Clark!-" Roy growled, running a hand through his hair. He peddled faster, the hospital in his sights.

_"I'm at work. I need to go."_

"Damnit, Clark! Bruce got shot and fell out a window and was emitted into the hospital! Alfred is out of town and Dick ran to the hospital and I can't find him! So get your ass down here now and help me!"

There was silence on the other line for a few moments.

_"I'm on my way."_

"Hurry."

Roy hung up the phone, tempted to slam the hunk of metal to the ground. That Kryptonian should get there soon, or else Roy would hang the man by the cape his Ma made for him. Smirking ever so slightly to himself, Roy hopped off his bike, running towards the hospital entrance.

The automatic doors slid open for him as he forced himself through, startling the people quietly seated inside. A doctor with dark hair and a water bottle made his way over to Roy, opening the water for him to drink. Roy graciously took it, taking multiple sips before handing it back to the man.

"Richard... Richard Grayson. Was he... here?" Roy continued to breathe in pants, unable to control it. The doctor nodded, "Yes, yes he was. It's Bruce. He's in critical condition. Richard was here but I can't find where he went!"

Clark Kent scrambled in through the front of the hospital, buttoning the top button on his shirt. Roy let out a sigh of relief again, "Clark!" he shouted, signaling the meta-human to come ofter there. The Man of Steel went by Roy and the Doctor, holding out a hand for the man to shake, who returned the action, "Clark Kent. I'm Bruce's friend."

The doctor nodded, "Anthony Trint. I was helping Bruce when Dick came in. I don't know where he-"

_"BRUCE!"_

Roy reacted quickest, following the pained scream from Dick, "Richard!" he shouted, running towards the room. Clark stopped him, "You need to tell Alfred and..." Clark paused, putting a hand on Roy's shoulder, "everyone else. Got it?"

The archer picked up on what the Man of Steel was hinting and nodded, pulling out his phone. Roy stepped outside, cringing when he heard a broken wail come from whom they guessed was Dick. Anthony turned to Clark, "I need you to sign some papers because Bruce is... I don't think he is going to make it. I'm assuming you are going to take Richard in, am I correct?"

Clark gravely nodded, ominous fear filling throughout his whole mind. Bruce might not make it... That would break any stability Dick had left. Clark moved towards the doomed room treating Bruce, "I need to get Richard out of there."

"No time. I need you to sign some consents. This way."

Anthony pulled Clark by the arm away from the room and down into another one. Clark was tempted to refuse, but kept going anyways. He didn't know what to do right now. Bruce Wayne, the Batman, _the_ _almighty_ _Batman_ was dieing on a medical table because of a common thief.

Suddenly, papers were shoved before Clark and a pen was forced into his hand. Anthony waved a hand over his eyes, snapping Clark out of his daze. The doctor gave Clark an odd look before speaking, "We're going to have to start treatment, but I'm sorry, its unlikely to work. Are you willing to sign for Bruce to get the treatment?"

"Just do it."

The pen pushed against the paper, lining Clark's signature. He repeated the action in a few more spots. Anthony took the paper away, and pulled out his cell phone, "I need to call child care. Dick is going to need a new home. Doesn't Wayne have a butler? Arnold or Alex..."

"It's Alfred, and he wont be able to take care of Dick. He'll be living with me from now on."

Anthony nodded, "Alright. I'll call them right now to get the paperwork, and..." he stopped for a moment, putting the phone to his ear, "I'm so sorry." Clark shook his head, thinking about Richard.

"I'm not the one you should be sorry for."

-X-

Dick shrieked before it registered in his mind. The doctors turned their attention to him for only a second before continuing to scramble around the room like chickens without their heads. Dick found himself unable to focus his vision as he slumped against the nearest bare wall. One of the doctors turned to him, "Kid, you need to get out of here now."

The nine-year-old shook his head. The doctor let out a sigh, walking over to Dick. The nameless doctor was surprisingly warm when he spoke, "Listen. Bruce is hurt really badly. We're trying to help him. I need you to-"

"Rich... R-Richard."

"B-Bruce?" The ebony haired boy squeaked, making his way over to the bed. He crawled on top of the bed, ignoring all the blood that covered Bruce. Dick looked into the grown man's pained eyes, wishing it would go away. Bruce grabbed Dick's hand in his bloody one.

"L-listen... It's go... going to be o...okay, Dickie... I promise, but... I need you t-to be s-strong... Be s-strong for Daddy... okay?"

Dick slowly nodded, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Bruce was never able to smile at Dick. He was never able to give pull Dick into a tight hug. He was never able to tell Dick how proud he was of him, and he was never able to tell Dick how much he loved him before his eyes shut and the heart monitor came to a low, deadly beep.

The doctor from before swiftly grabbed Dick away from Bruce as the other doctors began to run around again, "We're losing him!" one of them shouted, grabbing the ping pong paddles. In a second, Dick was out of the room, in the arms of the fair-haired doctor. Roy noticed the two the at the end of the hallway, "Dick!" Roy shouted, running towards them.

In seconds, Dick was wrapped in Roy's arms. Dick cried onto the archer's shoulder, "R-Roy. I-is Bruce..." Dick let out a sob instead of finishing his sentence. Roy put a hand on the back of Dick's head, gently rocking back and forth, "Alfred's snowed in. You're gonna have to stay with Clark for awhile, okay?"

A broken sob escaped the ebony's lips as he gripped Roy's shirt tightly. Roy shushed him before taking a seat in a waiting chair, Dick sitting on his lap. Dick pulled back, looking up at Roy, "A-am I go-going to b-be an o-orphan again?"

Dick's quiet voice crushed Roy into a million pieces. His hand still on the back of Dick's head gently ran through the boy's locks, "I don't know, Dickie. I'm sorry."

The boy's blue eyes shut before he completely broke down. Bruce told Dick, no, Bruce _promised_ he would never leave him alone. Bruce swore that he would never have to be an orphan again. Dick never wanted to feel this sort of hurt again. It had been hard enough with his parents, but again? It was almost unbearable.

The only man that would be able to fill the lost role of his father's was now gone. Again, Dick had this torment to face alone at the age of nine. He should have said something to stop Bruce from leaving. Something, _Anything_. Silently, Dick wished that the hug the two shared before he left had never come to an end.

Dick's eyes widened slightly when he realized that the hug never happened. His gaze rested on the roomed darkened by sorrow. It was such a trivial thing to stress about, but the thought of it ripped Dick's heart in two. He let out another sob before hiding is face in Roy's shoulder.

He didn't even hug Bruce goodbye.

-X-

Clark quickly made his way over towards Roy and Dick, taking the seat beside him. Dick looked up at Clark before letting go of Roy and grabbing onto Clark. The man responded by wrapping his arms around the kid, pulling him onto his lap.

"You're going to stay with me for a while, Dickie."

The ebony haired boy shook his head, "N-no. I-I'm staying w-with Bruce."

Clark sighed, shutting his eyes and resting his head on Dick's, "Bruce has to stay here. He-" Clark was cut up when Anthony came up to the heroes, a grave look on his face. Clark felt his stomach drop as he held onto Dick tighter, putting a hand on the back of his head. His eyes flashed towards Roy's whose eyes held the same knowing look.

Bruce was dead.

**-X-**

**A/N: I thought I'd give ya a little cliffhanger here.  
**

**Anyways, I've been so busy. I'm graduating June 1st and I had a dance and all that. Basically I was too busy to write. Well I'm back now and I'm expecting 1 to 2 more chapters for this one.  
**

**My next fic I'm going to write is going to be one with Slade and YJRobin so I hope you guys check it out. I'll start probably mid June.  
**

**Oh, and Review!  
**

**-Hallo'sEve  
**


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